For a man who’s been tapped to lead a marquee series of projects at Ottawa’s fastest-growing animation studio, David Gerhard had a somewhat awkward introduction to the art form that’s dominated his professional career.
“When I first started watching cartoons when I was really little, I remember being really afraid of them,” he tells OBJ with a chuckle. “Rocky and Bullwinkle would come on, and the colours and the sharp contrasts actually kind of scared me. But I soon fell in love with them once I got over that fear. My mom raised me on a healthy dose of Ren and Stimpy, Pee Wee’s Playhouse.”
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For Ginger Bertrand, some of her earliest childhood memories in Ottawa are centred around healthcare. “I grew up across the street from what was originally the General Hospital,” she explains,
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Zaahra Mehsen was three years into a biology degree at a local university when she realized she wanted to take a different path. “I realized that it’s not my thing,”
Gerhard, 42, has continued to cultivate that affection over more than a decade as an animator and director for a number of prestigious studios south of the border, including industry heavyweights such as Warner Bros. and the Cartoon Network.
After six years at Nickelodeon’s studios in Burbank, Calif. – including the past two as the creative director of the animation giant’s alternative media team – Gerhard decided to leave sunny southern California for the Great White North. He started a new job as creative director of Ottawa’s Atomic Cartoons in early November, overseeing teams working on projects for NBCUniversal.
The Hintonburg studio has been on a hiring tear since opening its doors in late 2018. The headcount at Atomic’s Wellington Street workplace has risen to nearly 50, with another hundred or so employees expected to be brought on board by the middle of next year.
Atomic has quickly made a name for itself as producer of the Netflix series Last Kids on Earth, a show about young students battling zombies. Its deal with NBCUniversal, one of the world’s largest media organizations, is sure to accelerate that momentum.
“I like the projects that they’re working on and the direction they’re heading,” says Gerhard, adding he was ready for a new challenge after spending most of his career to date in California.
“(Atomic) just seems like the right fit. Ottawa has this rich (animation) history and the energy behind the artistic vision of Ottawa is growing. I think it’s just gonna be a really fun and interesting ride to grow with this studio and grow with the animators and artists in Ottawa.”
At Nickelodeon, Gerhard was a driving force behind cutting-edge advancements in technology that included a virtual reality experience featuring characters from the network’s 2D-animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, even putting his skills as a puppeteer to good use playing Donatello.
The studio was a “lovely home” that let him spread his wings as an animator, he says.
“I’m a bit of a tech geek on top of being an animation geek,” he explains. “I got to do a lot of new, innovative storytelling stuff that was just a lot of fun.”
Gerhard, who grew up in Lexington, Ky., and studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts, is now looking to build on those experiences in Ottawa.
The nation’s capital has long been an animation hotbed. The Ottawa International Animation Festival has been running since 1976, and the city is home to more than half a dozen acclaimed studios that include Mercury Filmworks, which now employs nearly 300 people and recently won an Emmy for its work on the Netflix series Hilda. Meanwhile, a $40-million sound stage that’s expected to open next year on Woodroffe Avenue will include four sound stages for film and TV productions as well as office space for animation firms.
Atomic might be the new kid on the block, but it comes with an impressive pedigree. Its Vancouver head office has 500 staff and has produced series for some of the biggest names in the industry, and Gerhard can’t wait to get to work putting the Ottawa location on the map.
He says the explosion of social media platforms and video streaming services and the use of new software technology are revolutionizing the industry. In contrast to the traditional 22-minute episodes of the past, today’s animated shows are often 11 minutes or less, and many are produced in a non-linear format better-suited to platforms such as Snapchat.
“It’s actually sort of an exciting time to be making animation because there’s so many different (elements) to explore,” Gerhard says. “It all comes back down to creating good characters and good stories. The tech is really just a fun way to explore that.”
People on the move
David Goldstein is joining Gusto Worldwide Media as chief operation officer. Goldstein brings almost three decades of executive experience in media management, corporate strategy and global markets to the role, most recently as president and CEO of Destination Canada, a federal tourism marketing agency. He will navigate Gusto’s international growth into new territories while overseeing the operations of its studio and test kitchen as well as its post-production, master control and playout services.
Erin Fenn has been named executive vice-president of Ottawa tech firm Intouch Insight. Fenn has more than a decade of experience as a sales and marketing leader, most recently as chief operating officer of 1VALET, and was a 2019 Forty Under 40 recipient. In her new role, she will be responsible for the sales, marketing and product management departments.
Sebastien Dignard has been appointed president of Ienso, a provider of embedded imaging and wireless technologies for consumer and commercial applications. The former CEO of FRAMOS and a 2017 Forty Under 40 recipient, Dignard brings more than 18 years of experience in management and international business development. He will lead Ienso’s global activities.
Feenics has named Hanna Farah its new chief technology officer. Most recently, Farah was a manager at Deloitte, where he advised technology companies on incentive programs in research and experimental development.
Hats off
The Ottawa-based Canadian Internet Registration Authority won the MaxSys Staffing & Consulting Award for Most Effective Recruitment Strategy at the sixth annual Canadian HR Awards in Toronto. The awards recognize outstanding leadership and innovation in Canada’s HR sector.
Ottawa General Contractors has been selected by Remodeling magazine to join theRemodeling Big50. Each year, the Remodeling Big50 inducts 50 remodelling companies that have set exceptionally high standards for professionalism and integrity through exemplary business practices, craftsmanship and impact in their community or the industry.
